In the house where I live, the noisy bustle of friendly jokes, encouragement and music is sometimes mind numbing but safe. The only concept my teenagers have of parental abuse is the background mumbling about tidy rooms, homework, and other boring interruptions to life.

I work in a public hospital where children present with life threatening injuries inflicted by the only adults they know to trust. One five year old boy, has been brought in several times this year. Each time the X-Rays and CT ¢â‚¬â„¢s show pre-existing fractures, and his body is covered with bruises of varying stages of healing. The latest visit was because he had been kicked in the chin, amongst other places, and the laceration was so deep that the four males who are recognised as his carers couldn ¢â‚¬â„¢t stop the bleeding. They also told me they didn ¢â‚¬â„¢t know what to do about the fitting.
I asked the tiny boy how he was feeling, just a general question, and pointless. He didn ¢â‚¬â„¢t answer, so the  ¢â‚¬ËœUncle ¢â‚¬â„¢ hit him across the head and told him to `answer the lady ¢â‚¬â„¢. Legally you are not allowed to have a child sixteen or under unaccompanied by a responsible adult, so the best I could do was tell them not to touch him and ask the men to stand at the doorway.

`We just wanted him to cooperate with you, ¢â‚¬â„¢ the responsible adult told me. These guys must have passed the 200 kg mark and were about six foot tall. I ¢â‚¬â„¢m not even five foot, so I didn ¢â‚¬â„¢t feel brave.

`I ¢â‚¬â„¢m the one in charge here, ¢â‚¬â„¢ I said, `and I want you to move to the doorway. ¢â‚¬â„¢

The little boy did talk to me a bit, he tried to tell me he ¢â‚¬â„¢d hit his head, it was hurting. There was no eye contact, no interest in the bright fanfare of a hospital.

He was stitched, cleaned and comforted to some degree. All the forms for Social Workers, intervention , CPS were filled out, but this had all been done before and little if anything can be done. His mother had fled to Queensland, maybe also afraid.

I think the loneliest place on this planet is to be forgotten, to have nobody thinking or praying about you. We can give financially, support foster care families and camps and every time you can take a child a few steps closer to safety and healing.

One more effective moment is to pray each day for one broken child.

Lydia Prince wrote a book `Appointment in Jerusalem, ¢â‚¬â„¢ and part of the book is about praying for just one child each day. Years later she was part of the rescue, but for so long it was blind prayer for a child she didn ¢â‚¬â„¢t know.

Maybe 60 seconds of your day could set wheels in motion, move the hand of God in the life of a voiceless child.

Author’s name withheld.